


Quiet On Set!

by ElliotsArchives



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Acting, Based on a Tumblr Post, Conventions, Fun, Gen, More characters will be added on, Prank Wars, Silly, Tags to be added as events happen, an all around good time for the most part, it gets serious once a lot later, light hearted, none of the actors are remotely serious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7576558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElliotsArchives/pseuds/ElliotsArchives
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragon Ball is a world-renowned live action TV series that has been running for 30 years. While the show mainly focuses on martial arts and enormous fights, behind the scenes, the actors and crew are very different.</p><p>[A "Cast and Crew AU" for Dragon Ball in which all the characters are actors for the TV Show Dragon Ball.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Behind the Scenes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to my first posted fic here on Ao3. I technically already posted this first part over on my Tumblr, but I wanted to post it on here too. Keep better track of it.  
> This AU was created by Z-Paladin on Tumblr, and I wrote this first part with their permission and encouragement. Thanks, Z! Their original post can be found here: 
> 
> http://z-paladin.tumblr.com/post/147364776760/cast-and-crew-au-dbzdbs-is-filmed-like-shows-such
> 
> Hope you enjoy this AU I've started brainstorming for, friends!
> 
> \- DC / Dawny

Any suspension of disbelief of the scene was completely lost when Goku fell flat on face in the middle of his line. Vegeta - who stood across from his - failed to muffle his giggling, and several crew members were already cracking up. With a slight smile, the Director gave a wave and yelled, "Cut!"

Little accidents like this were common on the Dragon Ball set. Especially ones involving Goku and his childlike attitude.

As a nearby crew member made sure Goku hadn't broken his nose or anything else. Okay, his name wasn't actually Goku - that was his character. All the actors on Dragon Ball had an old, unspoken tradition from when the show first started that they only address each other and be addressed as their character names. Helped with the atmosphere, they'd say.

“Alright, everyone,” the Director spoke again, drawing everyone's eyes. “We’ll break here for lunch.” The Assistant Director and him both began heading to their trailers as the camera crew checked all the cameras.

Goku finally managed to usher off the insistent worker, assuring them he was fine, before heading back over towards Vegeta.

“Hey, ‘Gets!” He happily chimed his buddy’s nickname. Vegeta had recovered from his laughing fit and was waiting for him. “Sorry I ruined the scene – I thought you were doing pretty great!”

“You always think everyone is doing great,” Vegeta replies jokingly, dropping his raspy character voice for a higher and relaxed tone. “Even though you've been acting since you were a kid.” Goku beamed and shrugged. He wasn't lying when he complimented people on their performances, he was just like that. “Come on, Bulma bought lunch for everyone.”

Bulma was another actress that had worked on Dragon Ball since her teenage years with Goku. She barely acted different offscreen than on, just as intelligent and charming.

As the two actors discussed the scene they'd been acting, a buzz came from Vegeta’s phone. “Hold on,” Vegeta frowned before he answered. After a moment he simply motioned Goku away, saying he has to take it. Goku said a simple goodbye and headed off alone. His eyes wandered the massive Hollywood studio set, surprised to see how much everything had changed in his near 30-year acting career. And yet, very little actually changed…

He was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden water balloon to the face and a high pitched laughter. Once stylized hair was now hugging the frame of his face as Goku smirked mischievously. Both Krillin and Yamcha, old acting buddies as well, stood a few feet away, the shorter of the two holding a large bucket full of balloons. Yamcha laughed at Goku, though not meanly. It was a playful and happy laugh. Krillin gave a non serious smirk before he spoke up.

“Wanna join us?” Krillin offered, hoisting up the bucket. It did look heavy but Krillin was pretty strong, as he was the most properly fit actor of the whole cast. “The twins already declared war on poor Tenshinhan.”

Tenshinhan, or simply called Tien, and the twin Launchs. Quite a rambunctious trio mostly due to the twin sisters referred to as ‘Blue’ and ‘Blondie’. On the show they were one character with a split personality, with Blue being a soft spoken sweetheart and Blondie being a trigger happy violent individual. However, in actuality, their personalities were swapped. Blue was the devious troublemaker and Blondie was much more reserved and polite.

“You should've seen it, Goku!” Yamcha spoke excitedly. “Both Blue and Blondie came out of no where and-” He went into a dramatic reenactment of the event, using lots of hand gestures and exaggerated expressions that made both Krillin and Goku chuckle.

Goku loved his job.

 

“Sally sells seashells by the seashore,” Goku recited to his vocal coach as he waited in the line for lunch. He had ran into said instructer, who immediately made sure Goku’s voice was still intact. Enunciation and range always had to be checked. Having to scream a lot could damage his vocal chords, after all.

Goku then let out an audible humming as his coach nodded a bit more. He'd be ready for the any yelling scenes this afternoon. He made a few more test noises, using every vocal support muscle from his upper chest to his abdomen, before his coach was satisfied.

Grabbing a couple small sandwiches along with a bottled water, Goku made his over to the actors’ designated area. Several of his friends had already noticed him, including Vegeta, Krillin, and Chi-Chi(she played his wife on the show). He couldn't help but notice several people were absent, including the children actors and Piccolo. He had played a villain in the original run of Dragon Ball, but his character got redeemed as a mentor and family figure to Gohan, who was Goku’s son in-show. Gohan was missing too, now that he mentioned it.

“Hey guys!” He greeted the cast members, taking a seat by Chi-Chi. “Where's Gohan and Piccolo? They'll miss lunch.”

“Yeah, they'd hate to miss us,” Blue Launch winked, arm around her blonde counterpart, causing everyone to laugh. In some translation, her name was Lunch rather than Launch.

“Piccolo had a wardrobe malfunction,” Chi-Chi stated between the bites of an apple. “The makeup artists have to reapply some of his body paint and fix his antenna. It broke off in rehearsal.”

Well that must've sucked. Goku wasn't too fond of heavy makeup and couldn't imagine how Piccolo did it almost everyday. A touch up is only expected, but Piccolo had his neck up covered in green body paint to portray his alien character. “Is Gohan with him?” He asked, beginning on his first sandwich.

“Nah, Gohan took Videl home,” Blondie was the one who answered, water bottle pressed to her lips. “Gohan said she shouldn't be in the heat for so long, especially with the baby on the way, and insisted on taking her home.”

Videl and Gohan had met through Dragon Ball quite a few years ago, and they'd played high school friends that ended up falling in love. Behind the scenes, their relationship was genuine, and Gohan ended up proposing to her at a convention. It really was a touching moment for both the crew and the fans. Now they were married and Videl was pregnant, keeping her screen time more limited until the baby was born.

“Videl wasn't too happy, to say the least,” Blue said through a mouthful of salad. “She wants Gohan to stop doting on her since she knows her own limits. I can get that.”

The rest of the lunch break was spent idly chatting. Krillin told Goku and Chi-Chi about another possible movie for Dragon Ball, Bulma talked to the Launch’s about an interview she recently had on a talk show, and Vegeta and Yamcha discussed some sporting events coming up. They'd all just about finished eating when the Assistant Director announced “Back to work!”

With a wave goodbye, Goku jogged back to the set, chugging down the last of his water. It was only about one in the afternoon, but every moment counted! Reciting his lines in head, Goku was ready to not fall flat on his face again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any suggestions/ideas for this AU, go ahead and tell me and I might do something with it <3 Criticism is also welcome, because I'm always looking for improvement.  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Enter: The Prince of All Saiyans... 's Younger Brother!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta brings someone to the set who's worked there before. Who could it _possibly_ be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Sorry for the literal month wait, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter since school started for me and all;;
> 
> Also sorry for how rough it may be, again, I had trouble writing this. I wasn't really sure where to go with this fic and AU, so I winged it for now.
> 
> You'll notice a couple of references in this chapter. Can you identify them? I hope to sprinkle more fun stuff like this in future chapters as well, so keep an eye out for 'em!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! <3 - DC

The summer heat beat down on the set. Though Goku didn't mind the heat, growing up in the country as he did, he did mind the uncomfortable feeling of his layered gi sticking to his sweaty frame. Crew members distributed water and small towels to everyone sitting in the shade, waiting to shoot. The Director was off taking a call, and the Assistant Director gone with them.

"Morning," a tired greeting made Goku look up. Vegeta had just arrived, sipping a cup that Goku assumed was tea. Beside him, someone a head shorter than Vegeta shied away from sight.

"Hey, Vegeta," Krillin gave a wave. He'd been reading a tabloid magazine with Bulma next to him. "Where ya been?"

Before Vegeta could respond, Yamcha spoke up. "Who's that with ya?"

All eyes turned to the pair. Vegeta nudged the younger boy forward, his face flushed from either the heat or embarrassment. All he gave was a nervous wave and smile. He had shorter brunet hair than Vegeta's natural hair, but he had no muscle definition. The boy definitely looked familiar.

"You all remember my younger brother," Vegeta stated. "He played Tarble for the 25th anniversary special."

A moment of silence hung among the actors before a collective 'ohh' broke out.

"Tarble!" Bulma stood up to greet him. "It's been years! How've ya been?" Soon everyone followed her lead and all greeted Tarble individually. Well, except for Goku, who continued to lay in the shade, who just gave a wave.

"Kakarrot, you idiot, what are you doing?" Vegeta stood above him.

"Dying, mostly." He offered up a hand. "Little help?"

Helping the actor to his feet, Goku let out a heavy breath. "Thanks, best buddy."

"So what brings you here?" Videl had a bright smile with her arms crossed across her chest. Even when pregnant, no force could keep Videl away from her job and passion. Tarble began stuttering, clearly overwhelmed with the attention.

"U-uh, well... Ry- I mean, Vegeta..." Tarble tripped on his brother's name. "He recommended me to the, um, casting director..." He trailed off.

"He was cast to play a new character in a future arc once we've finished the Golden Frieza saga for Super." Vegeta made his way back to his stuttering brother and patted him on the shoulder. "It's similar to his role as Tarble, so I thought he'd be perfect for it."

"That would be the tournament arc, right?" Piccolo's deep voice startled a few people nearby. No one heard him approach the group. He wasn't wearing any of his body paint or costume, which made sense with the heat to considered. Even out of costume though, Piccolo acted the same as his character.

"That's right, the 'Champa' arc," Vegeta air-quoted.

"Well it's great to have you, Tarble!" Yamcha gave a wide grin. He stuck his hand out for a shake. Goku's senses heightened at Yamcha's seemingly normal gesture. It was too formal for the man who usually greeted with open arms. Which could only mean-

Tarble had already accepted Yamcha's hand before Goku could react in time. The poor boy jumped back immediately, Yamcha cackling.

Joy buzzer.

It caught the rest of Goku's fellow actors by surprise, but they simply laughed and reminded Tarble to always be on his guard around them, especially Yamcha. The never-ending prank war wouldn't be put on hold for a guest, the guest must be involved. Traditions must be held!

"Ah, right," Tarble's voice was much steadier before he gave out a giggle. "I'd forgotten about the pranks. Guess I'll have to give it my A-game!" He shone a much more confident smile at this.

"Who would've thought a joy buzzer would be a good ice breaker?" Gohan chimed in.

As the cast laughed and teased each other, the Director and Assistant returned with an announcement.

"As you all know, actors for both Beerus and Whis are currently off a con for another production," the Assistant Director stated, "but their flight back was delayed until tomorrow morning. We'll have to continue filming without them again for today." An understanding murmur was followed by the Director calling everyone to their stations. The crew hurried around and the actors dispersed. Tarble was lead off by a voice couch and makeup artist along with his brother. Goku headed to the main set for a 'family scene', noticing the child actors had arrived, which included Goten. Seriously, the kid's resemblance to him was uncanny.

Scooping up said doppleganger, Goku tossed his on-screen son in the air to surprise him. Squeals of delight came from the young boy, along with chuckles from nearby Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Videl. They practically were a family to each other. Always there for each other through thick and thin.

Yeah, Goku couldn't think of a better way to spend his days than being surrounded by people he loved - and their joy buzzers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Dragon Ball Z: More Familiar Faces! Plans for Conventions! "The Return of Future Boy Wonder"!
> 
> If you guys have any suggestions of characters or shenanigans you'd like to see, go ahead and tell me! I have a few things planned, but they're all a bit far off, so I might write what you suggest till then! ;0

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys have any suggestions/ideas for this AU, go ahead and tell me and I might do something with it <3 Criticism is also welcome, because I'm always looking for improvement.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
